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Overview

STEMvision™ consists of an instrument and software designed specifically for imaging and counting colonies in hematopoietic colony-forming unit (CFU) assays using MethoCult™ media and meniscus-free SmartDish™ cultureware. STEMvision™ software, known as Analysis Packages, replaces the need to manually count colonies using a microscope.

For human cultures, three Analysis Packages have been designed for scoring and counting hematopoietic colonies produced by erythroid, myeloid and multi-potential progenitor cells in 14-day assays of CB, BM and MPB cultured in MethoCult™ Optimum media. A fourth Analysis Package is also available for counting the total number of colonies in 7-day assays of CB cultured in MethoCult™ Express medium.

For mouse BM cultures, three Analysis Packages have been designed to count total numbers of hematopoietic colonies produced by all combined myeloid and erythroid progenitors in M3434, myeloid progenitors only in M3534 and erythroid progenitors only in M3436.

Selection of at least one Analysis Package is required for instrument purchase. Additional Analysis Packages are sold separately for labs that currently own a STEMvision™ instrument.

Select your preferred Analysis Package and Request Pricing for further information. Several purchase and leasing options are available.

For more information about Instrument Services including additional service packages and installation software please see our instrumentation overview.

Product Applications

This product is designed for use in the following research area(s) as part of the highlighted workflow stage(s). Explore these workflows to learn more about the other products we offer to support each research area.

Data and Publications

Data

Figure 1. Representative STEMvision™ Images Showing Colonies Derived from CB Progenitors after 7 Days of Culture in MethoCult™ Express, and from CB, BM and MPB after 14 Days of Culture in MethoCult™ Optimum

Thirty individual 14-day CB CFU assays were counted by three to seven people. The numbers of mixed colonies (CFU-GEMM) colonies counted manually in each well are shown by the black open circles (n=80 total assay scores). Manual CFU-GEMM counts in most cultures varied significantly between individual people. STEMvision™ counts of the same cultures (red circles) provided a CFU-GEMM count that was typically within the range of manual counts.

Thirty individual 14-day BM CFU assays were counted by three to seven people. The numbers of mixed (CFU-GEMM) colonies counted manually in each well is shown by the black open circles (n=82 total assay scores). Manual CFU-GEMM counts in most cultures varied significantly between individual people. STEMvision™ counts of the same cultures (red circles) provided a CFU-GEMM count that was typically within the range of manual counts.

Thirty individual 14-day MPB CFU assays were counted by three to seven people. The numbers of mixed (CFU-GEMM) colonies counted manually in each well is shown by the black open circles (n=82 total assay scores). Manual CFU-GEMM counts in most cultures varied significantly between individual people. STEMvision™ counts of the same cultures (red circles) provided a CFU-GEMM count that was typically within the range of manual counts.

Publications

TRIAMF: A New Method for Delivery of Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein Complex to Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

Abstract

CRISPR/Cas9 mediated gene editing of patient-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) ex vivo followed by autologous transplantation of the edited HSPCs back to the patient can provide a potential cure for monogenic blood disorders such as $\beta$-hemoglobinopathies. One challenge for this strategy is efficient delivery of the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex, consisting of purified Cas9 protein and guide RNA, into HSPCs. Because $\beta$-hemoglobinopathies are most prevalent in developing countries, it is desirable to have a reliable, efficient, easy-to-use and cost effective delivery method. With this goal in mind, we developed TRansmembrane Internalization Assisted by Membrane Filtration (TRIAMF), a new method to quickly and effectively deliver RNPs into HSPCs by passing a RNP and cell mixture through a filter membrane. We achieved robust gene editing in HSPCs using TRIAMF and demonstrated that the multilineage colony forming capacities and the competence for engraftment in immunocompromised mice of HSPCs were preserved post TRIAMF treatment. TRIAMF is a custom designed system using inexpensive components and has the capacity to process HSPCs at clinical scale.

Abstract

Capturing where and how multipotency is lost is crucial to understand how blood formation is controlled. Blood lineage specification is currently thought to occur downstream of multipotent haematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Here we show that, in human, the first lineage restriction events occur within the CD19-CD34+CD38-CD45RA-CD49f+CD90+ (49f+) HSC compartment to generate myelo-lymphoid committed cells with no erythroid differentiation capacity. At single-cell resolution, we observe a continuous but polarised organisation of the 49f+ compartment, where transcriptional programmes and lineage potential progressively change along a gradient of opposing cell surface expression of CLEC9A and CD34. CLEC9AhiCD34lo cells contain long-term repopulating multipotent HSCs with slow quiescence exit kinetics, whereas CLEC9AloCD34hi cells are restricted to myelo-lymphoid differentiation and display infrequent but durable repopulation capacity. We thus propose that human HSCs gradually transition to a discrete lymphoid-primed state, distinct from lymphoid-primed multipotent progenitors, representing the earliest entry point into lymphoid commitment.

Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology 2016

An Efficient Electroporation Protocol for the Genetic Modification of Mammalian Cells.

Abstract

Genetic modification of cell lines and primary cells is an expensive and cumbersome approach, often involving the use of viral vectors. Electroporation using square-wave generating devices, like Lonza's Nucleofector, is a widely used option, but the costs associated with the acquisition of electroporation kits and the transient transgene expression might hamper the utility of this methodology. In the present work, we show that our in-house developed buffers, termed Chicabuffers, can be efficiently used to electroporate cell lines and primary cells from murine and human origin. Using the Nucleofector II device, we electroporated 14 different cell lines and also primary cells, like mesenchymal stem cells and cord blood CD34+, providing optimized protocols for each of them. Moreover, when combined with sleeping beauty-based transposon system, long-term transgene expression could be achieved in all types of cells tested. Transgene expression was stable and did not interfere with CD34+ differentiation to committed progenitors. We also show that these buffers can be used in CRISPR-mediated editing of PDCD1 gene locus in 293T and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The optimized protocols reported in this study provide a suitable and cost-effective platform for the genetic modification of cells, facilitating the widespread adoption of this technology.

STEMCELL TECHNOLOGIES INC.’S QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IS CERTIFIED TO ISO 13485. PRODUCTS ARE FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY AND NOT INTENDED FOR HUMAN OR ANIMAL DIAGNOSTIC OR THERAPEUTIC USES UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED.